This one is for sellers. You’ve chosen an agent, listed your home, and you’re now awaiting showings.

The first, or “lead” photo of your home is an important one. It’s the default photo not just in the MLS for other agents to browse & set appointments off of, but is also the default picture on Zillow, Trulia, Realtor.com, and any other major site that draws info from the MLS – buyers are all over these sites.

So what does this photo say about your home? And what does it say about your agent?

1. The Off-Seasoner

So we’re just about as far from snow as you can get on the calandar from an actual snow date.

What it means about your home:
“Well if it’s been on the market for this long, there must be something very very horribly wrong with it.” That’s what your prospective buyer is thinking when they come across this picture.

What it means about your agent:
Unfortunately, they have more important things to do, you’re at the bottom of their list. Actually, you might want to give a call and see if they even remember that they have your home listed.

2. The Drive-By

Camera Phone photo from a moving car. Photo is off-center.

What it means about your home:
There’s nothing special going on here. No pretty scenery, no real value. You have no curb appeal.

What it means about your agent:
They’re disorganized, and poor time-managers. And even worse, they don’t have dollars for a real camera in their business or personal budget. They do not take their listings seriously, and they might not truly believe they can sell your home.

3. The Wrong Time of Day

The sun is BEHIND the home.

What it means about your home:
Your house ends up looking dark, shady, cold, and vacant. A viewer’s natural response would be SO much more favorable with sun shining bright on the front of your house.

What it means about your agent:
I’ll be a little bit nice on this one – your agent probably just has very little photographic knowledge. They probably never took a class, read an article, or put much thought into this one. A picture like this one could also signal that they didn’t plan very well to set aside the proper time to photograph their home.

4. The Car Shot

What’s for sale here… cars or a house? A driveway or a home?

What it means about your home:
This is not an inviting shot. First of all, is your driveway the best feature of your home? It’s in the foreground and taking up most of the frame. Your front door isn’t even visible. Your home is not being properly represented if your photo has a driveway and cars as the main focal point.

What it means about your agent:
Simply put, this agent is lazy. If they did not insist that you move your cars or offer to do it for you, I’d question how hard they will work on actually selling your home. It would take a maximum of about 5 minutes to get the cars out of this picture.

More to come! If you are interested in what well-planned, well-thought-out photography looks like, take a look at what we do here.
We take pride in presenting every single Keri Ricci Team listings in the best possible way!

There are some really simple things you can do to help sell your home – they are mostly free & easy, and require very little effort. I’m compiling a “master list” of DO’s and DON’Ts below and will update it every time I come across something new!

I wish they could all look like our Kresson Road listing!

DO

HAVE A CLEAN HOUSE

Speak with your listing agent about hiring a stager

Turn lights & ceiling fans on

Open shades and blinds

Make it a very comfortable temperature – nice & cool in the summer, relatively warm in the winter

Deal with any pet odors (especially a litter box or a dirty cage)

Be out of the house. If you cannot leave the property, at least step outside or confine yourself to an out-of-the-way area

After watching a Jack Russell Terrier lift his leg and pee on the wall during a showing yesterday, much to the horror of my buyers, I thought it best to share a few tips for you sellers with furry friends.

Relocate your pet whenever possible. No matter how much you love your pet, it can be a buyer turn-off for a wide variety of reasons. Out of sight, out of mind. This includes removing crates, beds, litter boxes, etc. from plain sight.

Air it out! Lets face it… pets have a smell. Opening a window or lighting a neutral-scented candle can go a long way. The “Bad Air Sponge” works wonders!

Clean up the fur. Pet fur can make a home look unkempt, but furthermore, it can easily trigger the allergies of those touring your home.

Mary in Barclay Farm, Cherry Hill, NJ just listed her home with The Keri Ricci Team and is feeling very satisfied with our superb marketing efforts. She writes…

“Please pass my compliments and gratitude on to Liza for the just beautiful pictures of the house!! The picture taken looking into the foyer, with the front door, banister, etc., is…artistic! And I love how she took the picture of the back porch framed by the evergreen branches. I am just SO pleased, and when I think of all the work you’ve done ALREADY, I feel guilty!! Thank you for your help in getting this process started.”

I’ve seen a million “Thanksgiving Tips” lists over the past few weeks…. how to prepare your table, when to thaw the Turkey, etc. etc. etc.

But I came across a fantastic list for homeowners regarding appliances and HAD to share. This is also up on the Team Facebook Page

Happy Thanksgiving from The Keri Ricci Team

“The turkey’s stuffed, table’s set, and TV’s on…but what about those Thanksgiving preparation and cleanup tips that aren’t on your to-do list?

To keep the oven, garbage disposal and kitchen sink drain in good working condition this holiday season, cooks need to take some precautions before and after the Thanksgiving feast. “Oven problems usually go unnoticed until the turkey is already inside,” said Doug Rogers, president of Mr. Appliance® Corp. “Give yourself enough time before the big day to test your oven and if needed, call an appliance repair company for help. A few minutes spent checking your kitchen appliances could save your holiday season.”

A proper working oven is something you and your tableful of hungry relatives will be thankful for. This year, add these oven tips from Mr. Appliance to your Thanksgiving to-do list in preparation for the festive feast:

Avoid running the self-cleaning cycle before a big holiday dinner.

Remove caked on food from the gas vents or the heating element.

To test baking efficiency, buy a white cake mix. If cake is dry or undercooked, oven temperature isn’t set correctly.

Replace gaskets at the first sign of a leak or if moisture appears on outside of oven.

Use oven light to save cooking time and energy.

For those who aren’t do-it-yourselfers, appliance repair professionals can repair faulty gaskets and replace oven lights.

As for the cleanup process, there are five tips many don’t think about until it’s too late. Mr. Rooter Plumbing has this advice:

Wipe off greasy dishes before washing.

Avoid pouring grease down the drain.

Throw scraps in trash or compost pile.

Don’t overload the garbage disposal.

Don’t use dishwasher if disposal isn’t working.

When cooks combine turkey bones and potato peels with grease, they’ve got the ideal recipe for a backed-up kitchen sink. It’s a mixture that keeps plumbers busy over the holiday, unclogging stuffing-stuffed drains.

“It’s important to know what should and should not be put down the drain before the Thanksgiving frenzy,” said Mary Kennedy Thompson, president of Mr. Rooter Corporation. “People also don’t realize how much food they put down their garbage disposal until the drain is backed up.””